A light-sensitive material comprises a light-sensitive layer containing silver halide, a reducing agent and a polymerizable compound provided on a support. The light-sensitive material can be used in an image forming method comprises steps of imagewise exposing the light-sensitive material to form a latent image of the silver halide, and polymerizing the polymerizable compound to form an image corresponding to the latent image.
Japanese Patent Publications No. 45(1970)-11149 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 3,697,275), No. 47(1972)-20741 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 3,687,667) and No. 49(1974)-10697, and Japanese Patent Provisional Publications No. 57(1982)-138632, No. 57(1982)-142638, No. 57(1982)-176033, No. 57(1982)-211146 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,997), No. 58(1983)-107529 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,637), No. 58(1983)-121031 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,547,450) and No. 58(1983)-169143 describe an image forming method comprises steps of developing the exposed silver halide by a developing solution, and polymerizing the polymerizable compound in the presence of a reducing agent (which is oxidized) to form a polymer image. Thus, the method needs a wet development process employing the developing solution. Therefore, the process takes a relatively long time for the operation.
Japanese Patent Provisional Publications No. 61(1986)-69062 and No. 61(1986)-73145 (the contents of both publications are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,676 and European Patent Provisional Publication No. 0174634A2) describe an improved image forming method employing a dry process. The image forming method comprises steps of imagewise exposing a recording material (i.e., light-sensitive material) comprising a light-sensitive layer containing a light-sensitive silver salt (i.e., silver halide), a reducing agent, a polymerizable compound having at least one carbon-carbon unsaturated bond and a binder provided on a support to form a latent image, and heating the recording material to polymerize the polymerizable compound within the area where the latent image of the silver halide has been formed. The method employing the dry process is also described in Japanese Patent Provisional Publications No. 61(1986)-183640, No. 61(1986)-188535 and No. 61(1986)-228441.
The above-mentioned image forming methods are based on the principle in which the polymerizable compound is polymerized within the area where a latent image of the silver halide has been formed.
Further, Japanese Patent Provisional Publications No. 61(1986)-243449 and No. 61(1986)-260241 describes another image-forming method in which the polymerizable compound within the area where a latent image of the silver halide has not been formed is polymerized. In this method, the reducing agent functions as a polymerization inhibitor within the area where a latent image of the silver halide has been formed. Accordingly, the polymerizable compound within the other area is polymerized when the light-sensitive material is heated.
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 61(1986)-73145 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,676 and European Patent Provisional Publication No. 0174634A2) describes an embodiment of the light-sensitive material, which employs microcapsules containing components of the light-sensitive layer, such as polymerizable compound.
In the image-forming method of the light-sensitive material employing the microcapsules, the microcapsules containing the unpolymerized polymerizable compound are ruptured by pressing to form an image after the development process. It is stated that the microcapsules generally have a size of not more than 80 .mu.m and further in order to ensure ease of handling during storage, the microcapsules having a particle size not larger than 20 .mu.m are preferred. It is further stated that from the viewpoint of easy rupture under application of pressure, the microcapsules having a particle size not smaller than 0.1 .mu.m are preferred. Thus, the light-sensitive material containing microcapsules having a diameter of 0.1 to 20 .mu.m is advantageously easy to handle during the storage and under application of pressure. However, according to the study of the present inventor, it was observed that the image obtained by the use of a light-sensitive material using microcapsules of such particle size sometimes partially suffered stains and the image formation was partially defective.